Democritus (460 BC-370 BC) was a rationalist, which means he believed theory should be based on reason. His name meant "The Chosen People." He was born in Greece and was an ancient Greek philosopher. Leucippus was Democritus' mentor. Democritus was called "The Father of Modern Science." He believed everything was made of something and that something was atoms. He also believed natural law is what everything resulted from. Democritus was known as the laughing philosopher. He was known as that for his value of cheerfulness.
Biography
Democritus was born in Abdera, Thrace, Greece. A devoted student of the Magi, the brilliant astrologer priests of Persia, was what his father was. His father entertained his family in his home and as often as possible. From the Magi, Democritus learned astrology and theology. After his parents died, he used his inheritance to travel through much of the civilized world. He had made his way south to Egypt to study with the priests about geometry. Pythagorean mathematics was what Democritus was an enthusiastic fan of. That might have been what motivated him to go to Egypt given the fact that Pythagoras had studied there a century earlier.
Major Works
Even though Plato hated Democritus and wanted his works burned, here are some of his works from a few categories.
Ethics
Pythagoras
On the Things in Hades
On Manliness or on Virtue
On Contentment
Natural Sience
Cosmography
On Nature
On the Mind
On Flavors
On Different Shapes
Buttresses
On Logic (three books)
Nature
Heavenly Causes
Terrestrial Causes
Causes Concerned with Sounds
Causes Concerned with Animals (three books)
On Magnets
Mathematics
On Geometry
Numbers
Planispheres
Contest of the Water Clock
Geography
Description of Rays of Light
Literature
On the Rhythms and Harmony
On the Beauty of Verses
On Homer
On Verbs
Technical Works
Prognosis
Medical Judgment
On Farming
Tactics
Commentaries
On Those in Meroe
On History
Phyrgian Account
Legal Causes
Philosophy
Democritus had the theory that all substances had to be made of something. He got this theory when he questioned himself, "If you break a piece of matter in half, and then break it in half again, how many breaks will you have to make before you can break it no further?" He didn't think anything could be cut into infinity pieces so it had to stop somewhere. He thought infinity times zero is still zero, therefore, it all had to end at something. So he concluded divisibility comes to an end and bodies with sizes and shapes must be the smallest possible fragments, also known as atoms.
Democritus believed atoms are too small to be detected by the senses. He also believed they are infinite in number and come in infinite varieties, and that they have existed forever. He believed that there was no disagreement in admitting a vacuum. There was a void. Atoms were constantly in motion in this infinite empty space.
Images, thin layers of atoms, are constantly shed off from the surfaces of microscopic bodies and carried through the air is what Democritus' theory of perception depends on. Later, gradual erosion of bodies over time is what atomists cite as evidence. These flexible strips of atoms shrink and expand; the ones that can only enter the eye are the ones that shrink sufficiently. It is, then, the impact of these on our sense organs that enable us to perceive.
Quotations Attributed to Democritus
"By desiring little, a poor man makes himself rich."
"Happiness resides not in possessions, and not in gold, happiness dwells in the soul."
"I would rather discover one true cause than gain the kingdom of Persia."
"It is better to destroy one's own errors than those of others."
"Nothing exists except atoms and empty space; everything else is opinion."
Democritus
(Democritus)
Introduction
Democritus (460 BC-370 BC) was a rationalist, which means he believed theory should be based on reason. His name meant "The Chosen People." He was born in Greece and was an ancient Greek philosopher. Leucippus was Democritus' mentor. Democritus was called "The Father of Modern Science." He believed everything was made of something and that something was atoms. He also believed natural law is what everything resulted from. Democritus was known as the laughing philosopher. He was known as that for his value of cheerfulness.
Biography
Democritus was born in Abdera, Thrace, Greece. A devoted student of the Magi, the brilliant astrologer priests of Persia, was what his father was. His father entertained his family in his home and as often as possible. From the Magi, Democritus learned astrology and theology. After his parents died, he used his inheritance to travel through much of the civilized world. He had made his way south to Egypt to study with the priests about geometry. Pythagorean mathematics was what Democritus was an enthusiastic fan of. That might have been what motivated him to go to Egypt given the fact that Pythagoras had studied there a century earlier.
Major Works
Even though Plato hated Democritus and wanted his works burned, here are some of his works from a few categories.
Ethics
- Pythagoras
- On the Things in Hades
- On Manliness or on Virtue
- On Contentment
Natural Sience- Cosmography
- On Nature
- On the Mind
- On Flavors
- On Different Shapes
- Buttresses
- On Logic (three books)
Nature- Heavenly Causes
- Terrestrial Causes
- Causes Concerned with Sounds
- Causes Concerned with Animals (three books)
- On Magnets
Mathematics- On Geometry
- Numbers
- Planispheres
- Contest of the Water Clock
- Geography
- Description of Rays of Light
Literature- On the Rhythms and Harmony
- On the Beauty of Verses
- On Homer
- On Verbs
Technical Works- Prognosis
- Medical Judgment
- On Farming
- Tactics
CommentariesPhilosophy
Democritus had the theory that all substances had to be made of something. He got this theory when he questioned himself, "If you break a piece of matter in half, and then break it in half again, how many breaks will you have to make before you can break it no further?" He didn't think anything could be cut into infinity pieces so it had to stop somewhere. He thought infinity times zero is still zero, therefore, it all had to end at something. So he concluded divisibility comes to an end and bodies with sizes and shapes must be the smallest possible fragments, also known as atoms.
Democritus believed atoms are too small to be detected by the senses. He also believed they are infinite in number and come in infinite varieties, and that they have existed forever. He believed that there was no disagreement in admitting a vacuum. There was a void. Atoms were constantly in motion in this infinite empty space.
Images, thin layers of atoms, are constantly shed off from the surfaces of microscopic bodies and carried through the air is what Democritus' theory of perception depends on. Later, gradual erosion of bodies over time is what atomists cite as evidence. These flexible strips of atoms shrink and expand; the ones that can only enter the eye are the ones that shrink sufficiently. It is, then, the impact of these on our sense organs that enable us to perceive.
Quotations Attributed to Democritus
Bibliography